VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 17
DATE 27-01-2016
Summary:
- General audience: God gives us the legacy of mercy
- The Pope invites faithful to "Cor Unum" retreat and greets circus performers -
Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
General audience: God gives us the legacy of mercy
Vatican City, 27 January 2016 (VIS) -God's mercy has always been present
throughout the history of the People of Israel, accompanying the way of
Patriarchs, endowing them with offspring despite their sterility as in the case
of Abraham and Sarah, and leading them on paths of grace and reconciliation, as
is shown by the story of Joseph and his brothers. When life became difficult
due
to slavery in Egypt, God was not indifferent to their suffering. He saved them
from the Pharaoh through Moses, he took them out of Egypt and led them through
the Red Sea and the desert to the promised land and to freedom. This was the
theme of the Holy Father's catechesis during this Wednesday's general audience
in St. Peter's Square, entitled "God heard their groaning and He remembered His
covenant", drawn from the Book of Exodus.
"Mercy is not indifferent to the pain of the oppressed, to the cry of those
who
suffer violence and slavery or are condemned to death. Suffering is a sad
reality that afflicts every age, including our own, and often makes us feel
helpless, tempting us to harden our hearts and think of other things. God,
however, is not indifferent; He never turns away from human suffering. The God
of mercy ... intervenes to save, inspiring men capable of hearing the cry of
suffering and of working in favour of the oppressed".
Moses, one of God's chosen ones, saved from the waters of the Nile by divine
mercy, becomes a mediator for the liberation of his people. "And we too, in
this
Year of Mercy, can be mediators ... with the works of mercy, being close to our
neighbours, to relieve them. They are many good things we can do", added the
Pope. "God's mercy always acts to save us. The Lord, through his servant Moses,
leads Israel in the desert like a child, educating his people in faith and
creating a strong bond of love, like that between a father and son, or a bride
and groom. ... God possesses all the earth because He has created it, but the
people become for Him a different type of possession: His personal reserve of
gold and silver, like the treasure King David says he has donated for the
construction of the Temple. This is what we become for God by welcoming his
covenant and letting ourselves be saved by Him. The Lord's mercy makes man
precious, like a personal wealth that belongs to Him, that He conserves and is
pleased with".
"These are the wonders of divine mercy, that finds fulfilment in the Lord
Jesus, in that 'new and eternal alliance' consummated with His blood, that with
forgiveness destroys our sin and definitively makes us children of God,
precious
jewels in the hands of the good and merciful Father. And if we are sons of God,
we have the possibility of inheriting this goodness and mercy. Let us ask the
Lord, in this Year of Mercy ... to open our heart to reach everyone with the
works
of mercy, the legacy of the mercy that God the Father has shown to us",
concluded the bishop of Rome.
___________________________________________________________
The Pope invites faithful to "Cor Unum" retreat and greets circus performers
Vatican City, 27 January 2016 (VIS) - Following today's catechesis, the Holy
Father mentioned that the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", on the occasion of the
Jubilee of Mercy, has arranged a day of spiritual retreat for people and groups
involved in charity service. The day, to be held in the individual dioceses
during the upcoming Lenten period, "will offer an opportunity to reflect on the
call to be merciful like the Father", said Francis, inviting those present to
welcome this proposal, following the indications and using the materials
prepared by "Cor Unum".
After his special greetings to the young, the sick and newly-weds, the Pope
mentioned that tomorrow will be the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of
Catholic schools. "His example inspires you, dear young people, to see in the
merciful Jesus the sole teacher of life; may his intercession obtain for those
of you who are sick the serenity and peace present in the mystery of the Cross;
and may his doctrine encourage you, dear newly-weds, to trust in the wisdom of
the heart to fulfil your mission".
Finally, he greeted a group of circus performers and acrobats, reiterating
that
their profession is the creation of beauty, and beauty always brings us closer
to God.
___________________________________________________________
Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 27 January 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Fr.
Adilson
Pedro Busin, C.S., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Porto Alegre (area
13,530,
population 3,423,000, Catholics 2,547,000, priests 359, permanent deacons 59,
religious 1,450), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Sarandi, Brazil in 1965,
gave his permanent vows in 1992 and was ordained a priest in 1993. He holds a
licentiate in science of education from the Pontifical Salesian University of
Rome, and has served in a number of roles in his congregation, including
vocational animator and rector of the minor seminary of Ciudad del Este,
Paraguay, master of novices in Porto Alegre, and provincial superior. He is
currently regional vicar for the South American region, president of the
Scalabrinian Association for the service of migrants, and master of novices.
___________________________________________________________
For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:
www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va
Copyright (VIS): the news contained in the services of the Vatican
Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source: V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html
--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
|
